Lisa L. Tonneson-McCorkell Earns SITES AP Credential

LISA L. TONNESON-MCCORKELL FROM THE LA GROUP AMONG FIRST TO EARN SITES PROFESSIONAL CREDENTIAL FROM GREEN BUSINESS CERTIFICATION INC.

Lisa Tonneson-McCorkell, RLA, LEED AP, SITES AP, Associate Principal/Landscape Architect from The LA Group has earned the SITES Professional (SITES AP) credential through Green Building Certification Inc. (GBCI), placing her among an elite group of leading professionals who are dedicated to elevating the value of landscapes in the built environment.

The SITES AP establishes a common framework to define the profession of sustainable landscape design and development. It provides landscape professionals with the opportunity to demonstrate their knowledge, expertise and commitment to the profession. SITES APs posses the knowledge and skills necessary to support the SITES certification process, including participating in the design and development process, support and encouraging integrated design, managing the application and certification process and providing advocacy and education for the adoption of SITES.

The Sustainable Sites Initiative (SITES) is a program focused on the planning, design, construction and maintenance phases of a project. Program goals include creating ecologically resilient communities and providing social benefits from our built environment. SITES was developed in coordination with LEED, and focuses on the site from the building envelope outward. The major difference is that SITES fosters the ability of green infrastructure to not only provide sustainable components, but to also protect and regenerate natural systems.

The Sustainable SITES Initiative (SITES) is the first program of its kind to offer a systematic, comprehensive rating system designed to define sustainable land development and management. SITES aligns land development and management with innovative sustainable design—defining what a sustainable site is and, ultimately, elevating the value of landscapes in the built environment.

SITES can be applied to development projects located on land with or without buildings—ranging from national parks to corporate campuses, from streetscapes to homes. The SITES rating system is currently being used by landscape architects, designers, engineers, architects, developers, policymakers and more.

Land is a crucial component of the built environment and can be planned, designed, developed and maintained to protect and enhance the benefits we derive from healthy functioning landscapes. The four overarching goals of the SITES rating system are to create regenerative systems and foster resiliency; ensure future source supply and mitigate climate change; transform the market through design, development and maintenance practices; and enhance human well being and strengthen the community.

By supporting the SITES certification system, SITES APs help create landscapes and places that provide important ecosystem services, conserve resources, create regenerative systems and foster resiliency, mitigate climate change and enhance human wellbeing while strengthening the community. SITES APs are also responsible for elevating landscape architecture and educating the public about the critical role that SITES plays in protecting and healing the environment.

About Green Business Certification Inc.

Green Business Certification Inc. (GBCI) is the premier organization independently recognizing excellence in green business industry performance and practice globally. Established in 2008, GBCI exclusively administers project certifications and professional credentials and certificates within the framework of the U.S. Green Building Council’s LEED green building rating systems, as well as the PEER standard for power systems, the WELL building standard, the Sustainable SITES Initiative (SITES), Parksmart, EDGE and the GRESB benchmark, which is used by institutional investors to improve the sustainability performance of the global property sector. Through rigorous certification and credentialing standards, GBCI drives adoption of green business practices, which fosters global competitiveness and enhances environmental performance and human health benefits.